New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-09
ruE pgESIDryTS ERROPS

mr. IUEHIDIsNI y ihH'fi'
To-day the chief apprehension of Rcpub-
leans is that the Democratic party in Congress
and elsewhere will disown and rcpudaie the
message Of the President, and try once more to
cvadc the issue whi,h he had the courGgc and
the ignorance to present SO sharply. Only men
who are not well informed regarding the indus
tries Of the country will hesitate to pronounce
tho Presidents message essentially ignorant.
For their Der, fl a few facts may BE- submitted;
well-informcd manufacturers. farmers and
workngmcn perceive at a glance that the
President speaks boldly Of matters which he
docs not understand. The VOL duty. he
argues. enhances the price Of home 4rown wool
by 10 cents per pound There is no such
enhancement of price. The latest quotation
f British >outhdown and Kent fleece in Lon
don j. equivalent to > to 2G cents per pound,
and the fleece Of Ncw-YolIi, Ohio kentucky,
Indiana and Michigan range IN value mt latest
quotations from ., 10 33 cents, SO that the
tariff plainly does not fix the price OF tho
onaitics Of domestic wool most largely con-
,umcd nor i, the enhancement Of cost to con
sumner, what the President supposcS.
lie next reasons that the enhancement OF
The cost Of woolicn goods TO consumer cA-
cccds the increased profits On wool growing by
a small farmer which he estimates At HlH Tor
twcnt,-h i've and $50 for iity sheep. liow
strangely ignorant the Pr, sdcnt Is Of industrial
fact, The census Of 1850 showed that the
value Of al products # woollcn. worStcd, felt.
vooI hat. carpet and hosiery manufactures IN
this country WAS T-6',2j:.3l3, OF - - yearly
for every nhabilaut If the entire product of
mixed textile manufactures. S66.!2l'OJ III
1850 and the value of all wool ms imported,
with duties thereon. BE- added The aggregate
cost II al woollcns wool still be not more
than S3SN.GSg,Ji9, or with deduction Tor
mixed textile products not Woollcn. about
>. o. for every nhAbt4nt. If the entire cost
is but about - for each person, the enhance
mcnt OF cost IN consequence Of the tai1il cannot
Inc S30 or SIS But the fact is that woollcn
GOODS. Of the qualities used by ninc-tcnths oi
the people. aIc substantially Is cheap III ihS
country. quality considered a, III england or
in Germany.
But cheaper goods by far. largely Shoddy
and not 80 durable. can be- and arc imported
which undciscll the products Of American
Icons Different goods, attractive to many
nuIy because foreign, and many 81 the hn'r
qualities worn by tho more wealthy. can De
,mportcd ut prices much below the cost oi
smHlr goods here. 1t Is not 4 question
whether the people should be defended against
DECEPTION aud plundcIing, or against cNtIaVa-
nancr and folly. but whether The manufacture
shalt be sustained IN lls employment OF loOpoO
workers and the farmers in their raising OF
sheen. Mr. Cleveland does not know how re-
duccd duties Of goods would affect the woollcn
manufacture in this country, and really nm
AGNES the manufacturers have been rophlhg
the people and realizing cNtorllonatc pf"ii'S'
But any manufacturer, and any nottingham
who has studied the matter with we" To
securing an advance of wages, couli correct
his error He does not know how many >h"'p
vo,.ll be slaughtered if the duties should ne
removed. on how much the pncc oil wool
throughout the Western world would rise II
American production should be cut of. Any
vool- grower could teach him valuable u s>on.
The astonishing ncapacity Of the Presidents
marty is in no other particular more StrhlntlN
illustrated than in his evident belief that 10
cents pcr hound can be taken from the pncc
If wool. and S3G. more or less, from the cost
Of woollcns To consumers and yet these I'M
possibilities can he somehow attained WhhouU
towering the WAGES Of American labor. lie
docs not know how, and because he has not
the least idea his recommendations are pam
fullv vague But he clings to the notion.
which is essentially that of the ultra Free
Traders. that in some way the thing can be
done without hurting home industry. That
WAS the idea Of Mr.. Buchanans frcc-trade
,.uv in 1877 and a reduction of duties then
was followed by panic and Il defeat of that
party This country cannot afford to be igno-
,antiv governed and has sense enough to re-